The EU is imposing sanctions in response to the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison camp. The foreign ministers of the member states agreed on punitive measures against 30 people and organizations at a meeting in Brussels, as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced in a press conference. According to diplomats, they will particularly meet representatives of the Russian justice system.
Kremlin critic Navalny, who was sentenced to a long prison sentence, died in a prison camp in Siberia in mid-February. The circumstances of his death are still unclear to this day. President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic collapsed while touring the icy prison yard at the age of 47, according to Russian authorities. Attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.
Germany and the other 26 EU states accuse Putin and the Russian authorities of being to blame for the politician’s death. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, says she believes her husband was murdered in the camp.
The foreign representative wants to name the EU sanctions instrument after Navalny
The new EU punitive measures are to be imposed using a sanctions instrument to punish serious human rights violations. Affected people are no longer allowed to enter the EU or do business with EU citizens. In addition, their EU accounts and other assets must be frozen. According to information from EU circles, a double-digit number of representatives of the justice system are said to be affected. According to the plans, their names are to be published in the EU Official Journal in the coming days after a formal sanctions decision has been made.
Plans by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also envisage naming the EU sanctions instrument for punishing serious human rights violations after Navalny. This step is intended to be a way to preserve the memory of the Kremlin critic.
Because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has already decided on numerous sanctions packages against Russia. There are far-reaching economic sanctions such as import bans on crude oil, coal, steel, gold and luxury goods as well as punitive measures against banks and financial institutions.
There could also be sanctions because of the presidential election
At their meeting in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the EU states also sharply criticized the conduct of the presidential election in Russia, after which the Russian authorities declared Putin the winner. Occupied Ukrainian territories were also included in the election. The so-called elections in Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions represented another blatant violation by Russia of international law and of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said a text published by Borrell.
The results of the election will never be recognized and are null and void. There will be “consequences” for Russia’s political leadership and those involved in organizing elections in the occupied territories, according to the statement. According to diplomats, additional sanctions are being considered.